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A. A. HAYES.

Gas Retort.

Patented June i6, 1857.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTUS A. HAYES, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CONSTRUCTION OF GAS-GENERATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 17,574, dated June 16, 18574 To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS A. HAYES, of Boston, in the county of Suifolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Retort or Gas-Generator; and I do hereby declare that the same is fully described and represented in the following specification and accompanying drawings attached, of Which- Figures l, 2, and 3, denote longitudinal sections of my invention, under some of the changes of form of which it is susceptible. Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the said retort.

The retort is made in the ordinary form, except that it has a conduit pipe A, extending outside of, and above the main chamber B, thereof; such conduit being separate from the body, or main chamber B, except that it has an opening a, into the same; such opening being made at that part of the retort, which is generally subjected to the greatest amount of heat. In Figs. l, and 2, the opening is represented in the rear part of the retort, while in Fig. 3, which is a section of what is called a long retort, or one which has openings or mouths, at both ends, the opening is then arranged in the middle part of the retort. The conduit opens into the stand pipe O, and continues across the same and also opens at D, directly over the mouth E, of the retort, and in such manner that a bar, or bars, may be introduced into the front end, or part D, of the said conduit and passed into the conduit. The front opening D of the conduit, and the mouth E, of the retort, may be closed by one plate or door; or each may have a separate plate, or its equivalent for stopping it, as circumstances require.

In carrying out my invention, so as to render a retort applicable to the production of pure gas, from any kind of bituminous coal, or other gas forming material, I em-f ploy with the conduit, one or more bars of iron, or other metal, to be passed into the conduit when too large, in order to diminish the area for the passage of the gas, from the opening a, to the stand pipe; according as the peculiar kind of coal, or material., may require. One of these bars, or rods is shown in Fig. 5. In Fig. 2, the retort is shown as made of iron or ire clay in two parts c, d, whereas the other Figs. l, 3 and 4 show it, of the Q or other sections in form. The conduit may be in part inside of the retort, but I prefer to have it outside of the same as shown in Fig. 4.

The above mentioned invention, is founded on a discovery I have recently made, viz., that when bituminous coals and other gas forming materials are suddenly heated in red hot vessels having small eduction openings, so as to prevent a ready exit, the usual product-s do not form in the vessels, but instead thereof, nearly pure gaseous matter and aqueous vapor charged with vapors of ammoniacal salts are produced. It is essential to this eect being fully obtained, that the eduction opening be at, or near that part of the generator or vessel, where the heat is greatest. If the vessel like a common retort has one closed end, then the gas should be taken out from, or near the closed end: Should it be a long retort with doors at opposite ends, the gas should be taken from near, or at the middle of the retort. It has been supposed that hot tubes, or secondary retorts, are necessary to decompose the vapors as they rise from coal and other materials. These tubes and secondary retorts, have been filled in part with coke bricks, &c., but I have found that if the eduction tube 0r conduit, when employed to lead the gas to the stand pipe, be sufficiently reduced in its sectional area, there is no decomposition of crude vapors in the tube or conduit; which remains clean, excepting only from accidental matter intruding. As further proof, retorts which have wide openings become coated and inally in part filled with allotropic carbon, which I have found to result from the decomposition of vapors alone,-gas when decomposed by heat always lea-ving charcoal, while retorts with narrow eduction openings, are not so coated after long use.

In applying my invention to practice, in the case when fixtures are adapted to common retorts with mouth pieces and stand pipes, I have one tube or conduit, cast or wrought on the outside of the retort, or in the thickness of the material, generally at the top or where the heat from the mode of setting the retort will be the greatest, leading to the iange near the stand pipe and continued on the mouth piece through the socket of the stand pipe to the front, where a stopper, or the door of the retort, is adapted to close it, when it is luted and pressed on. This conduit opens into the retort at the back end, near the top, by an elongated opening, and when the door or stopper is removed it is a straight conduit, open at bot-h ends, so that a rod, or poker may be passed through its length. The socket of the stand pipe does not open into the retort as usual, but is made longer and rests on the mouth piece. When the ordinary thin iron door plate is used to close the mouth of the retort and conduit, the workman covers the change of coal in the retort, with a shovel of coke breeze to prevent radiation: but I prefer a door lined with baked clay, or made ynonconducting by packing in the usual way: Theli retorts may then be closely filled with coa Where retort-s without mouth pieces projecting from the brick work are used, there is less loss of heat and the nonconducting door, eifectually prevents radiation. If long retorts are preferred with doors and stand pipes at both ends, then the conduits start from a common elongated opening, and run each way to and across the stand pipes. In any arrangement of the conduit, access to its interior must be easy, and a cul de sac or enlargement of the stand pipe at its foot is desirable. Side conduits may enter an annular space in the mouth piece: They are rarely required.

To enable those skilled in gas manufacturing to make and use such retorts, whether of metal, or lire clay material, I will add some further description.

As these retorts in the same lire, will completely work the usual charge` in half the time required by ordinary retorts, it is necessary toclose the damper of the furnaces for four hour charges, so as to produce ordinarily only a low cherry red heat in iron retorts. When however an excessive sudden demand for gas is made, the damper may be raised and before the usual brightcherry red heat is attained, these retorts will work their charges fully in three hours. The workman should clean the conduit with a split chisel poker, after such charge has been worked and the interior of the retort, being smooth should be kept clean.

To adapt these retorts to the decomposition of different kinds of coal, the conduit mustbe varied in size. Thus to obtain the best results from Picton coal, or Picton coal mixed with a small portion of cannel coal, a sectional area of four and one half square inches is necessary: while for cannel and other coals alone, it may be smaller. The adjustment in such cases is conveniently made by placing a movable bar of iron, in the conduit of each retort, until the passage is reduced to the right sectional area. As Picton coal alone in these retorts, produces gasof twenty two st-andard candles illuminating power, it is not necessary to use any cannel and the size of conduit for the mode of firing may be constant, the rule in every case being, to reduce the area, until no coaltar is produced in the decomposition.

I am aware that diaphragm retorts, annular and double retorts, have been used for decomposing vapors of coal tar as produced. I am cognizant of the American patentgranted Ap. 17, 1855, to Henry P. M. Birkenbine, also of that granted on the 17th lNIarch, 1857 to Alonzo M. Giles. My invention differs essentially from either of those covered by such, patents, for in that of Birkenbine the retort is provided with an annular space, wherein the volatile products, suchv as tar, &c., are vfurther acted on by heat. This is not the case in the conduit of my retort, which is too small for this purpose and is made so small, purposely to create the compression of the gas and vapors to such an extent as to cause the production or formation of gas and aqueous vapor; the area of the conduit passage for the gas, being small and determined as specied. My retort differs from thatrof Birkenbine, as the conduit is open at the front as well as at the stand pipe, whereas Birkenbines retort opens only into the stand pipe. The front opening enables either the reducing bars or rods, to be inserted in the conduit,

as occasion may require, or a cleaning in-v strument to be passed the conduit when necessary. Besides his annular part, or chamber covering the whole upper part of the arch of the retort, prevents the charge of coal within the retort from receiving the influence of heat, from the furnace. My said retort, differs also essentially from that of said Giles, as the conduit of the latter is arranged wholly within the retort chamber, and is usedin combination with a secondary chamber in front of the main chamber; two doors being necessary to the main and secondary chambers. I employ no secondary chamber and therefore I get rid of the inner door..y and all` the difliculty of luting and closing the same: the latter being quite serious and troublesome to the workmen. Furthermore when once luted the two doors, or double door, are removed only with some difficulty and delay. Therefore I do not claim a retort, constructed with an annular chamber leading from its near end to its stand pipe, and made of such large size as to receive and distil, or convert into gas, the

tarry vapors which are allowed to escape` freely from the inner chamber of the retort. Nor do I claim a gas retort, constructed not only wit-h a secondary chamber, and two doors, arranged in front of the chamber thereof, but at the same time with a conduit arranged within the main chamber, and opening through the door thereof, into the secondary chamber, out of the top of which y the stand pipe is led.

I would remark that, by having the conduit practically speaking outside of the chamber of the retort, ive gain a clear space Within the said chamber, Without diminishing its capacity and thus We are able to clean the retort, remove coke to better advantage, as Well as to put into the same a greater amount of coal than would be case, Were the conduit, or conduits Within the chamber. I would further remark that my invention differs from a gas purifier, made With tivo ovens, connected by strainers with one common chamber at their rear ends, up which a pipe is led to the stand pipe and provided With an opening in its front, for the purpose of cleaning it. I employ no such secondary chamber, as my retort has but one chamber, which contains the coal for decomposition, Whereas `the gas purifier' has one to hold the materials to be rendered hot, and to purify the gas after it has been produced in a separate retort; the gas being supposed to flow through such heated materials. In order to distinguish my peculiar conduit from that of all others I term mine a compression conduit or one constructed of about four and one-half square inches in sectional area, or oit' such area as to slightly compress the products in the body of the retort, so that they may there be converted into gas and aqueous vapor, holding volatile salts suspended, or dissolved. Birkenbines annular chamber, like a secondary retort has too large a capacity to produce such a result; being intended to decompose secondary products, after they have been made. I would further remark that I employ bars of iron or other suitable material, for diminishing the capacity and area, of my conduit. Other analogous, or equivalent contrivances may be employed but I prefer the bars, as most simple, and as Well calculated to keep the conduit free of foreign matter.

l. My improved gas retort or generator as made substantially as herein described and represented; that is, with only one chamber and with a compression conduit, arranged Wholly or partially outside'of the chamber of the retort, and so as to pass directly into the stand pipe, and have one entrance or opening into its front end, to be closed either by the door of the retort, or by a separate small door, or its equivalent, as circumstances may require.

2. I also claim combining with the gas retort and its compression conduit, a means substantially as described for diminishing the internal area of the passage of the gas through the conduit in order to produce the amount of compression of the vapors in the chamber, which may be required according to the kind of coal, or other material used; the retort by such means, being adapted to the decomposition in the manner set forth of any bituminous coal, or other gas producing material.

AUG. A. HAYES.

Vitnesses:

R. I-I. EDDY, F. P. HALE, Jr. 

